As we welcome June, we usher in the Atlantic hurricane season and the official start of summer in the northern hemisphere. In Florida, the average daily temperatures in June range from the mid-80s°F (around 29°C) to the low 90s°F (around 32°C), with a tendency for temperatures to rise as the month progresses, peaking towards the end of the month.

As May came to a close, I found myself tempted to wind down my gardening activities and seek refuge indoors in the cool comfort of my air-conditioned home. However, my garden still boasts flourishing tomato, pepper, eggplant, squash, cucumber, watermelon, and pumpkin plants that are bravely weathering the increasing heat of early summer. There’s also some tidying up to do in the garden, and a quick soil test indicates that I need to increase the watering frequency from once a week to twice a week.

I have been delighted with the bountiful harvest from my three space-master cucumber plants, but they are approaching the end of their expected life cycle and are likely to dwindle by mid-month. Regrettably, I didn’t plant any additional cucumber crops in succession, so it looks like this month will mark the conclusion of their harvest. On a brighter note, I’m eagerly anticipating the ripening of my corn crop, which should be ready for harvest in the middle of the month, providing another delightful treat for the summer. Additionally, I anticipate a continuous harvest from my tomato, pepper, and eggplant plants throughout the month.